Apereo Fall Roundup 2026
Hello, Apereo Community!
Is it just us, or did we blink in August and end up at the end of October? Halloween is NEXT WEEK!!!
Between conferences, new projects, software releases, community conversations, and a few big announcements, we've barely had time to catch our breath. But there's plenty worth celebrating, and we wanted to take a moment to share what our communities have been up to.
One of our biggest announcements this fall was the launch of HEOSAT, the Higher Education Open Source Assessment Toolkit, at EDUCAUSE 2026.
HEOSAT is designed to help colleges and universities make more informed decisions about evaluating, adopting, and sustaining open source software. It also offers open source projects a framework for assessing and strengthening their own governance, community health, and long-term sustainability.
For years, we've advocated for higher education to take a more active role in shaping its technological future. HEOSAT gives institutions practical tools to help turn that philosophy into action.
Please join us in welcoming BookLooky, the newest project in Apereo Incubation!
BookLooky is developing an open source approach to spoiler-free book content ratings, helping readers, parents, educators, and libraries better understand what's inside a book before page one.
Jon Penneman is the project lead, and we hope you will find time to welcome him on LinkedIn or via email. [email protected]
If you haven't checked in with the Apereo CAS community lately, you've missed quite a bit!
Over the past several months, CAS contributors have delivered an impressive series of releases across multiple development branches, continuing to improve this essential identity and access management technology.
But the story isn't just about releases.
The community has also been navigating difficult and timely questions about AI-generated code contributions, contributor responsibilities, and governance. Their thoughtful approach demonstrates the importance of community leadership and shared expectations in sustaining open source software.
And if you've ever considered contributing to CAS, there's an active community and excellent documentation to help you get started.
For more than two decades, Sakai has provided colleges and universities with an open source learning management system built around collaboration, academic freedom, and institutional control.
Now, the Sakai community is asking its broader network for support.
Sakai has launched a community-driven fundraising campaign to bridge a funding gap for the remainder of 2026 while transitioning toward a more sustainable model of direct institutional stewardship.
Contributions will help support core development, quality assurance, security, accessibility, and the community infrastructure that keeps Sakai strong.
Whether you're a current Sakai user, a former contributor, or someone who believes higher education benefits from having independent, community-governed alternatives in the LMS marketplace, this is an opportunity to make a difference.
If Sakai has been part of your professional journey, please consider giving back.
Talking About the Work Behind the Technology
Our September and October Microconferences brought together some wonderful perspectives on building and sustaining open source technologies.
In September, we welcomed members of the Enact community to discuss their work building an open source repository for practice research, using technology from the Samvera ecosystem.
In October, Bridget Almas of Lyrasis joined us to explore a question that doesn't always get enough attention:
What does it actually cost to provide a strong, sustainable organizational home for community-supported technologies?
From governance and coordination to infrastructure and long-term planning, these conversations reinforced something we believe strongly at Apereo: open source sustainability is about much more than maintaining code.
Missed a session? Visit the Apereo YouTube channel for MicroConference recordings.
November 11th at 11am Joshua Fiske, Vice President for Information Technology and Libraries at Clarkson University will discuss his universities intentional inclusion of open source in their technological strategic plan.
Register directly via Apereo’s CiviCRM!
Mark your calendars for April 1–4, 2027, when Apereo will help bring the Open Source in Higher Education co-located event to SCaLE 24x in Pasadena, California!
The Call for Proposals closes November 1, 2026.
We're planning a gathering that celebrates the remarkable contributions higher education makes to the global open source ecosystem.
Here's a taste of what's taking shape:
- Technical talks and presentations from developers, maintainers, researchers, and campus technologists.
- In the works: An OSPO Showcase highlighting the work of open source program offices.
- In the works: A student-focused hackathon bringing the next generation of contributors into the conversation.
- Social opportunities to connect with colleagues and collaborators.
And right now, we need your proposals!
The Call for Proposals closes November 1, 2026.
Have a technical challenge, an architecture decision, a migration story, or a lesson learned that others could benefit from? We'd love to hear about it.
Got questions? Reach out to the Apereo staff! [email protected]
A brief review of where we have been since early August:
- ATO
- 2026 Canadian Technology Law Association Fall Conference
- OSPO Alliance Webinar
- EDUCAUSE
- Strategy Jam 2
- Open Source Congress
- ODSI Launch Showcase
Travels continue through the end of 2026, and we really want to see you at SCaLE 2027!
We also want to recognize the institutions that have renewed their commitment to Apereo and our project communities.
Thank you to Albany Medical College, Hotelschool The Hague, MCI International Hochschule, and the University of Manchester for their continued support.
Membership is more than an expression of support for open source. It's a tangible investment in the people, infrastructure, and communities that make shared technologies possible.
We're grateful to the institutions and organizations that recognize this responsibility and help sustain the work.
Open source doesn't sustain itself. People and institutions sustain open source.
Thank you for being part of the Apereo community, whether you're contributing code, sharing expertise, funding a project, mentoring a newcomer, or simply helping others understand why this work matters.
We've got more to do before the year is over, and we're glad you're here doing it with us.
Warmly,
The Apereo Foundation Team
The Source for Open Source in Higher Education
News to share with the Apereo community? Email [email protected] with your updates!
Apereo Foundation
9450 SW Gemini Dr PMB 98572
Beaverton, OR 97008-7105
United States
Phone: 303.254.6600
[email protected]
